Mardi Gras, USA

According to historians, Mardi Gras originated in Rome during raucous pagan festivals honoring spring and fertility thousands of years ago. When Christianity came to Europe during the Middle Ages, religious authorities decided to adopt the widely practiced local customs of these pagan holidays (think parades and lots of eating and drinking) as traditions and make them a prelude to Lent, the 40-day period of sacrifice and fasting between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday came to be known as "Fat Tuesday" or "Mardi Gras" in French.

Mardi Gras first arrived in North America in 1699, when French-Canadian explorer Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville named his campsite Point du Mardi Gras. He later held a small gala at the campsite, which is about 97 kilometers downstream from New Orleans.

In the newly founded city of Mobile, which served as the capital of French Louisiana territory until the capital was moved to New Orleans, French soldiers and settlers began celebrating Mardi Gras beginning in 1703. The first Mardi Gras street parade in New Orleans was commemorated more than a century later, in 1837. Businessmen from New Orleans established the Mistick Krewe of Comus, a secret society that presented a themed parade with elaborate floats and performers and a lavish post-parade gala in 1857 after violent acts nearly put an end to the festivities.

The evolution of Krewes and parades over the past 150 years into a mix of wild parties and cultural traditions has influenced Mardi Gras celebrations all over the United States.

Time: Day before Ash Wednesday, 47 days before Easter, 2 days after Shrove Sunday

Location: varies from city to city